Sign Up For A Merchant Account via Boutell.Com

Want to accept credit cards on your website? This page will show you how to make that happen!

What is a merchant account?

Simply put, a "merchant account" lets you accept credit cards directly. On your website, by phone, by mail, by fax... any way your customer prefers. No other company's name is ever mentioned during the customer's shopping experience, as long as you choose to set up your own secure shopping cart software.

Why do you offer merchant accounts?

Readers of the WWW FAQ often ask me how to accept credit card payments through their websites. In the process of answering that question, I discovered that while most readers understand how to sign up for PayPal, the merchant account process is much less understood. To help my readers out - and, yes, to earn a little money as an affiliate - I've become a reseller of Authorize.Net, the best merchant account provider and online payment gateway on the Internet.

What are the benefits of a merchant account?

Integrate credit card transactions directly into your own website
Integration with most shopping cart software, such as OSCommerce
Respond directly to "chargebacks" initiated by customers
Access your money faster (nightly direct deposit)
Accept credit card payments from all countries
Great technical support and customer service from Authorize.Net

Is a merchant account right for me?

If you have lots of sales, or sales for large amounts, a merchant account is usually the best choice. But if you are just starting out, PayPal might be better for you. Some merchants, including myself, choose to offer both options. For more information about the PayPal option, see my article How do I accept payment on my website?

How do I get a merchant account?

Thanks to Authorize.Net, the best-known merchant account provider on the Internet, we're able to help you sign up for a merchant account as easily as possible.

Important: your business relationship will be with Authorize.Net. They're the experts and as a satisfied merchant, we use and recommend them. But we don't have any access to your merchant account once you sign up - your merchant account technical support and customer service will come directly from Authorize.Net.

Just follow these steps:

1. Click here to download the Boutell.Com, Inc. / Authorize.Net merchant account application form (opens in a new window).

2. Read through the application carefully.

3. Print out the application.

4. Fill out the application completely. Make sure you follow the instructions beginning with "If You Need a Merchant Account."

5. Fax the application directly to Authorize.Net at (801) 492-6546. Do not fax the application to Boutell.Com.

6. You'll hear back promptly from Authorize.Net. Once your account with Authorize.Net has been set up, you're ready to integrate credit card purchases into your website:

7. Make sure you have a secure website (https://, with the lock icon in the lower left corner). If you don't already have a secure site, see my article Which SSL certificate should I buy?

8. Set up your shopping cart software. A great deal of shopping cart software already supports Authorize.Net directly. Authorize.Net's certified shopping carts page is helpful but doesn't include every shopping cart program that can work with Authorize.Net. In particular, the popular open-source PHP-based shopping cart program OSCommerce supports Authorize.Net and it doesn't cost you a penny.

9. You're ready to go! Time to start selling! stripe-whores

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